Lewis Long vs. Gael Grimaud among additions to Cage Warriors 86 in London

Cage Warriors’ fall return to its London home base continues to build with the addition of four new fights.

Leading the pack, Lewis Long (15-4), who previously was announced for a spot at Cage Warriors 86, now has an opponent. He’ll take on French veteran Gael Grimaud (20-7) in a welterweight fight on the card.

Cage Warriors 86 takes place Sept. 16 at Indigo at The O2 in London. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass. In the main event, bantamweight champion Nathaniel Wood meets challenger Josh Reed.

Wales’ Long is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career. At Cage Warriors 83 in May, he got a TKO win over UFC veteran Che Mills in just 18 seconds thanks to a Mills knee injury sustained when Long drove him to the canvas for an early takedown. The victory was Long’s seventh in eight fights, and he called for a spot on the UFC’s July show in Scotland. Absent that shot – for now – he’ll take on Grimaud in London.

Gael Grimaud

The 37-year-old Grimaud will try to bounce back from a March submission loss to Abdoul Abdouraguimov in France. That snapped a three-fight skid that came in a run that saw him win 11 of 12 fights. Included in that stretch was a 2012 win at Cage Warriors Fight Night 6 over Jesse Taylor, who recently won Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter” to get back into the UFC.